I know alot of the big lifters in my gym either pull in deadlift slippers (they’re just like slip on socks with rubber coating on the soles) or wrestling boots cos it puts them that bit closer to the ground.
Incidently the gyms biggest squatters wear squating boots (both the Inzer and Titan ones).
[quote]BJBliffert wrote:
If you have to wear shoes at your gym and Chucks are too narrow for you, try Adidas Sambas. They have flat, non-sloping soles, no squish to rob you of power and they have a wider toe box.[/quote]
i rock the sambas also for the reasons above . that and they’re cheap/last forever.
Me too - did deads today (1st time in 7 weeks)in socks. I have inserts in my shoes so always would have the feeling of my foot shifting position plus it just feels better.
Shave the legs when you GOT some calves. Try shit squats for em’.
Performing any lift w/o shoes is just plain stupid.
I know they’re pretty uncool, but good ole fashion Aqua-Socks work great for deads and squats too cause they’re really flat.
[quote]BRUCELEEWANNABE wrote:
Performing any lift w/o shoes is just plain stupid.[/quote]
why, because you think it’s dangerous?
this is the same reasoning behind most modern ‘gyms’ not allowing deadlifting…because they considered it dangerous…
I deadlift / squat barefoot or in chuck’s… when I switched from running shoes I smoked my PR. I figured that with running shoes or any shoe with a midsole designed for cushioning or shock absorption that some of the force your putting into the bar goes toward compressing the midsole…
at least that whole equal and opposite reaction thing would seem to explain this… and like I said I set a PR by 35 lbs by changing nothing else… also when I squat in socks like some of the other posters my feet still slide out …actually not really sliding… but rather my socks just spin around on my feet… I dont know how to describe this other than like kinda water weenie type action.
I found the best training shoe to be adidas enzan hi. Thin flexible sole and good ankle support.
I like going barefoot too. Feels more solid on the floor.
Phil, where are you in Thailand? My gym told me to start wearing shoes so I switched to wrestling shoes. Kind of stupid in my opinion, who has ever dropped a weight on their foot? Is it even possible to drop a DL on your foot?
[quote]BRUCELEEWANNABE wrote:
Shave the legs when you GOT some calves. Try shit squats for em’.
Performing any lift w/o shoes is just plain stupid. [/quote]
Dumbest
Post
Ever!
Titan sells those slippers (basically black ankel socks with thin no-slip soles) for about 7 or 8 bucks. I love mine. A sumo style puller (I pull conventional) might prefer something more supportive like wrestling shoes or Chucks.
Depending on what gym staff member is manning their post I usually get away with shoeless…
On leg and DL lifts I vary between flat soled Nike Aquasocs (almost no sole) to shoeless (in socks) to barefoot (in the summer months before my feet get too funky 
- going to the gym in sandals helps)
I started deadlifting shoeless when I had a popped air pocket in one of my running shoes. Since then I can’t go back. The 3/4 of an inch that I don’t have to lift added quite a bit, giving me a big ego boost. Who would give that up?!?! And no, I don’t think it’s very practical that someone would have any weight dropped on them while doing deadlift (unless it’s ultra wide sumo, sometimes they get pretty close to smashing their toes). Someone would have to throw a 10 pound plate like a frisby over to where you were, but if people do that in your gym, then you’re liable to lose alot of other apendages as well. Definitely up to personal preference.
I was doing rack pulls yesterday, and with enough weight, I started to feel myself falling forward… I took my shoes off, and it felt much better.
I’m doing deads shoeless from now on.
I squatted in my brand new chucks this afternoon for the first time and I really did notice a difference in form and stability compared to my running shoes…